New Changeling Art: Shadowplay
' NEW ART: SHADOWPLAY' Shadowplay, an art created by Dame Courtenay Sesshilou ni Eiluned of the Deepening Dark, is the art of using Glamour to evoke the half-reality of shadows, pulling them into solidity and drawing on nightmare to strike fear and confusion to one's enemies. In order to learn Shadowplay, one must learn it from Dame Courtenay herself, and possess Gremayre and the Fae Realm at no less than rank 3. Attribute: Manipulation 1: Lightweave: The first level of Shadowplay affects light and shadow alike, altering the light levels in the area. Shadows can be made deeper or darker, and light can be brightened or dimmed as necessary. If affecting a nonliving target, the cantrip affects how light falls on it; a window can be made to act like a two-way mirror, for example, or an object can be made to shine with a light of its own. Living targets have their perception of light altered; this can be used to temporarily blind the target, or impede its vision in other ways. Light and shadow can also be woven to create shadowplays, changing the shape and depth of shadows. Type: Chimerical 2: Edge of Darkness: This art blurs the line between solid and shade, allowing the caster to pull a weapon out of the shadows. The weapon only lasts for a single scene -- an hour of non-combat time at the most -- and is largely an emergency measure. Successes determine what kind of weapon can be pulled. This Art always uses the Prop realm. Extreme degrees of success, at the ST's discretion, may cause the weapon to have unusual properties, usually pertaining to darkness. 1 success allows projectile weapons, though you'll still need the weapon to use them (i.e, you can pull arrows, but you'll still need a bow, etc) Damage is determined by weapon. 2'' successes allows thrown weapons, knives or stars: Difficulty 5 to use, Strength +1 for damage ''3 successes allows one-handed melee weapons, such as daggers or swords or maces. Such weapons are always black and often rather fantastic-looking. Difficulty 6 to use, Strength +3 damage. 4'' successes allows two-handed weapons or paired weapons to be drawn from the shadows, including claymores, mauls, or battleaxes. Such weapons are usually nightmarish in appearance, with the blades appearing not so much as black, but to virtually eat light. It is also possible with this level of success to draw a ranged weapon such as a bow, with ammunition.Difficulty 7 to use, Strength + 4 damage for melee; ranged weapon as normal with a +2 bonus to damage dice. ''5 successes allows masterwork versions of any of the weapons yet described, reducing difficulty by 1 or increasing damage by 1. These weapons seem to burn with a flame that devours light, leaving trails of darkness in its wake, and are often very cold to the touch. Type: Chimerical 3: Shadowstep: Shadows are doorways and in odd ways, a Realm unto their own. Shadowstep takes the caster through shadows to any point they desire. Others can also be sent through Shadows, with the proper Realms, and with the Chimera Realm, even the Dreaming can be accessed this way, though without a trod, it's anything but safe. There are a few limits on this: there must be a shadow at both the starting point and the destination, and the shadow must be of appropriate depth at both locations. Attempts to step to an unshaded location can result in being dumped unceremoniously into the Dreaming...if you're lucky. Botching Shadowstep can result in the traveler being trapped in a shadowy between-world, thrown into a Nightmare Realm, or tossed into the Deep Dreaming, far from the Silver Paths. Type: Wyrd 4: Phantasm: With the art of Phantasm, the changeling becomes a living shadow, half-real and insubstantial. While unable to physically affect anything, the fae herself can only be affected by magic (much like the Phantom Form rede). With this Art, she may slip through doors and hide in shadows unseen (requiring per+Kenning, difficulty caster's Glamour, meet or beat successes on the art roll to see). All of her own cantrips are still available to her. This Art is tiring and never lasts longer than one scene. 5: Shadow Players: This Art allows the Shadower to create clones of herself, or others, out of shadow. These clones are somewhat physical, and can affect and interact with their environment; they can even engage in combat, though they can't use Arts or any other form of special skill. The Players obey the caster, but the caster doesn't have complete control of them; they will tend to act somewhat independently, following the intent in their own way. Successes determine how many clones are created, how much damage they deal, and how much they can take before dispersing. Fewer clones will tend to be stronger. Creating Living Shadows is not without cost or risk, however; botching this Art can cause the shadows to take on lives of their own far out of the control of the caster. Who knows what havoc such waking nightmares could wreak? Type: Wyrd